A terminal fitting usually has a lance formed thereon to prevent removal once it is inserted in a connector housing. Such a lance is formed by shearing out a portion of the external face of the terminal fitting.
In a miniaturized terminal fitting, since the shape of the lance must also miniaturized, a stainless steel protecting cover is provided separately and, since an adequate stopping effect cannot be achieved by the miniaturized lance, a lance is formed on the external face of the protecting cover.
However, simply forming the lance on the terminal fitting or the protecting cover by shearing causes the lance to protrude in an exposed state, thereby making it susceptible to changing shape due to an external force or the like. In particular, during the production process, a lance or electric wire or the like of another terminal fitting may enter the bending space formed under the lance, and this can cause unwanted bending or entanglement. The present invention has been developed after taking the above problem into consideration, and aims to provide a terminal fitting wherein entry of foreign matter into the bending space is prevented.